Machine for rolling balls



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C. G. HILL.

MACHINE FOR ROLLING BALLS. No. 600,532. Patented Mar. 15,1898.

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3 -Sheets-Sheet 2. G. O. HILL. MACHINE FOR ROLLING BALLS.

(N0 Modl.)

No. 600,532. Patented Mar. 15,1898.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. C. HILL.

MACHINE FOR ROLLING BALLS.

No. 600,532. Patented Mar. 15, 1898.

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PATENT FFICE.

CHRISTIAN O. HILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR ROLLING BALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 600,532, dated March 15, 1898.

Application filed May 15, 1897- Serial No. 636,638. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN C. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Rolling Balls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for manufacturing balls for ball-bearings and other purposes.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of an efficient, simple, and durable construction by means of which steel balls for ball-bearings 'or other metal balls for other purposes may be rapidly and cheaply manufactured by a rolling operation.

To this end my invention consists in a ballrolling machine comprising in combination a pair of roller-dies rotating in the same direction and each furnished with a series of peripheral grooves, so that alarge number of balls may be simultaneously formed from a short length of rod, and two sets of guides or fingers for supporting, guiding, or holding the rod or ball blank between the roller-dies. One of the roller-dies is adapted to be moved toward the other as the rolling proceeds, and one of the roller-dies is adapted to be given a slight endwise movement as the rolling nears completion to prevent what is technically known as piping of the balls-that is to say, distortion or fracture of the balls by reason of the great friction and unequal pressure to which they are subjected as the dies are forced nearly together and the balls approximate the spherical shape. I have discovered that this piping, distortion, or injury to the metal of the ball may be entirely prevented by the simple expedient of giving one of the roller-dies a slight endwise movement just before the roller-dies approach near enough together to sever the ball. This endwise movement of course results in changing the plane of rotation of the ball, breaks the necks by which the balls are united to each other, and also rolls smooth any projection, roughness, or unevenness that might otherwise occur at the neck. The lower set of guides for supporting the blank between the roller-dies are given a movement for the purpose of withdrawing them from the roller-dies and thus permitting the discharge of the balls from the machine after the rolling operation is completed. The upper set of guides or fingers for guiding or holding the rod or ballblank in proper position between the rollerdies is given a movement for the purpose of enabling the blank or short length of rod to be fed or placed in position between the rollerdies.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for driving or rotating the roller-dies, for

causing them to approach each other as the rolling proceeds and separating them when the rolling is completed, for giving the slight endwise movement of the roller-dies in respect to each other, and for moving the up per and lower sets of guides or fingers. I have, however, illustrated in the drawings the particular form of mechanism which I prefer to employ for imparting their movements to the several parts.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a machine embodying my invention, the same illustrating one good way, and what I believe to be the best way now known to me, for reducing my invention to practice. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a detail View of parts hereinafter to be described. Fig. 5 is a detail plan View of the roller-dies, showing the ball-blank or short length of rod between them just before the roller-dies are made to approach each other to compress and roll the rod between them. Fig. 6 is asimilar view showing the roller-dies near together and just before one .of them is given the endwise movement; and Fig. 7 is a similar View, enlarged, showing the same after one of the roller-dies is given the slight endwise movement for the purpose of changing the plane of rotation of the ball between the dies, as indicated by the dotted lines in said figure, and thus preventing piping or distortion of the ball, and thus rolling smooth any projection that otherwise might exist at the neck where the balls are severed from each other.

In said drawings like letters of reference are employed to indicate the same part wherever it may appear in the several figures.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine, the same being of any suitable furnished on its periphery with a series of dieportunity for feeding in the blanks.

grooves 12 I), each corresponding in diameter to the size of the balls to be formed and preferably sixteen in number in each roller-die, as illustrated in the drawings, though a greater or less number may be employed, if desired. The journal-boxes for the roller-die B are formed ormounted in a reciprocating slide C, so that the roller-die B may be gradually forced toward the roller-die B as the rolling proceeds. The slide 0 reciprocates in guideways 0 on the frame A and is operated by cams d on the cam-shaft D, which engage friction-rollers c on the slide 0.

The guides or fingers F F for guiding, holding, and supporting the short length of rod or blank X in proper position between the rolleri dies B B are preferably equal in number in each set to the number of guide-grooves b in the roller-dies, so that after the balls 00 are sev- 1 ered from each other each ball may independently be properly held in position betweenthe roller-dies. The lower guides or fingers F are moved at intervals as required to per-' mit the discharge of the finished balls by means of a lever or arm F in which they are mounted, which is actuated by a cam d on the cam-shaft D. The upper set of guides or fingers F are operated by a similar lever F ,which is actuated by the cam 01- on the camshaft D. The cam which operates the lower set of guides F is so shaped, as indicated in the drawings, as to permit a quick return of the guides or holders F to place, so that after the finished balls are discharged the guides or holders F will be in position to receive the next rod or blank X when it is fed in. The upper set of guides or holders F, however, are kept retracted a longer time to give op- The levers F F are provided with a spring F to move them in one direction while the cams move them in the opposite direction.

The roller-die B is given the slight endwise movement required, as above described, preferably by a screw G, the end of which bears against the end of the roller-die or its shaft, and which is turned by an arm or lever H, secured to the screw and actuatedby a cam 61 on the cam-shaft D. A spring H holds the lever H in contact with thecam d The endwise movement required to be given to the roller-die is very slight, preferably only about three one-thousandths of an inch in rolling, say, one-quarter-inch balls, so that a comparatively slight movement of the screw 'suffices. When the screw is turned back to its normal position by' the spring H the roller-die B will automatically return or adjust itself to position as soon as a new blank or rod X is begun to be rolled. The other roller-die B is adjusted and held from any endwise movement by means of the adjusting -screws K K, the ends of which bear against the ends of this roller-die. Between the journal-boxes of the roller-dies B B, I place springs 19 b which serve to retract the movable roller B from its fellow.

M is the driving-shaft, furnished with a driving-pulley M and a fly-wheel M The roller-dies B B are driven from. the drivingshaft, both in the same direction, by means of gears m m on the driving-shaft, which mesh with gears m m on the shafts of the roller-dies. Motion is communicated from the driving-shaft to the cam-shaft D by means of ;a gear m on the driving-shaft, which meshes with a gear m on the intermediate shaft m, which has a second gear on, that meshes with a gear D on the camshaft D. The gear m on the driving-shaft, through which motion is communicated to the cam-shaft, is loose on the driving-shaft and is thrown in and out of gear therewith by a clutch N, which is operated by a lever N. The lever N is automatically operated by the gear D to release the clutch by a cam D on said gear D, which engages one end of the lever. The lever N is moved out of engagement with said cam D by a hand-lever N when the operator desires to start the machine, a spring N serving then to move the clutch into engagement with its fellow.

To increase or decrease the time and extent of the rolling operation upon the balls formed from each blank, I mount the intermediate shaft m on a movable arm P, fixed adjustably in place by a bolt p, passing through a slot p, so that a gear of a larger or smaller size may be substituted for the gear m through which motion is communicated to the cam-gear D, which controls the movable roller-die B and the duration of the rolling or forging action on the balls. By this means I can readily adapt the machine to the nature of the material being operated upon.

I claim 1. The combination with a pair of cylindrical roller-dies having each a series of diegrooves on their peripheries for simultaneously forming a series of balls from a blank or short length of rod, and two sets or series of guides or fingers for guiding and holding theblank and the balls formed therefrom in position between the roller-dies during the rolling operation, and means for driving said roller-dies, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a pair of rollerdies having each a series of die-grooves on their peripheries for simultaneously forming a series of balls from a blank orshort length of rod, and two sets or series of guides or fingers for guiding and holding the blank and the balls formed therefrom in position between the roller-dies during the rolling operation, and means for imparting a slight endwise movement to one of the roller-dies as the rolling operation nears completion to change the plane of rotation of the balls and thus sever the balls from each other, prevent piping or distortion of the balls, and roll smooth any projections that might otherwise exist at the necks, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a pair of rollerdies having each a series of die-grooves on its periphery, with means for holding the blank in position between the roller-dies, means for forcing one of the die-rolls toward its fellow as the rolling proceeds, and means for giving a slight endwise movement to one of the rollerdies as the rolling operation nears completion, substantially as specified.

4:. In a machine for rolling balls, the combination with a pair of grooved cylindrical roller-dies for rolling the blank between them, and means for holding the blank in position between the roller-dies, with means for giving a slight endwise movement to one of the dies to change the plane of rotation of the ball, and mechanism for driving both of said roller-dies, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with grooved roller-dies B 13, having each a series of die-grooves b, with two sets of guides or holders F F for holding the blank and balls formed therefrom in position between the die-rollers, levers F F for operating said guides or holders, a camshaft having cams for actuating said levers, and a cam or cams for forcing one of said rollerdies toward the other substantially as specitied.

6. The combination with grooved roller-dies B B, having each a series of die-grooves b, with two sets of guides or holders F F for holding the blank and balls formed therefrom in position between the die-rollers, levers F F for operating said guides or holders, a camshaft having cams for actuating said levers, and a cam or cams for forcing one of said roller-dies toward the other, adj listing-screws bearing against the ends of one of said rollerdies to hold it longitudinally in position, and a screw bearing against one end of the other roller-die, and a cam and lever for operating said last-mentioned screw to impart a slight endwise movement to one of said roller-dies, substantially as specified.

CHRISTIAN O. IIILL.

W'itnes'ses:

EDMUND AnoooK, II. M. MUNDAY. 

